African lions in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area: how are they doing?

I would like to highlight here a completely different type of project that is supported by Loro Parque Fundación. It is sometimes forgotten that at the basis of any successful conservation effort lies an extensive body of knowledge about the species itself as well as environmental factors that contribute positively or negatively to its survival.This is a project that aims at acquiring such knowledge...

Everybody loves lions, especially now that a new version of Disney’s classic “The Lion King” is out! Loro Parque also hosts a small pride of lions: Simba (the male) and ladies Sarabi and Maliki (guess where the names come from?), as animal ambassadors for their species, Panthera leo.
I was made aware of both the problems that lions face nowadays as well as the existence and participation in this type of project at the actual lion habitat in Loro Parque, so I gues they have been performing their ambassadorial duties quite well!

Many lions are still found in the so-called Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) project, which is a large area (larger than Germany and Austria combined!) which is spread over no less than five African countries Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This region is renowned for its large biodiversity of large mammal species: from Elephants to Rhinos, at least 195 different species have been recorded. KAZA aims to protect the various ecosystem in the area, thus reducing extinction risks of vulnerable species and at the same time increase economic opportunities, for instance by promoting sustainable ecotourism to the region.

As one of the Big Five and a top carnivore, lions are indispensable in healthy ecosystems. Unfortunately, over the past twenty years lion populations in Africa are known to dwindle fast. More than a 40% decline in the number of individuals has been estimatred, mainly due to habitat loss or habitat fragmentation and legal and illegal killing, for instance in retaliation for the hunting of livestock. As a result, lions are currentlt classified as “Vulnerable”, with an estimated 20,000 individuals still living in the wild, this number rapidly declining.

Loro Parque Fundación has assisted in a project to assess the status of lions as well as other carnivores in the Angolan portion of the KAZA region, where this kind of information is sadly lacking. At the same time, human activities that may threaten such species is also examined. The ultimate objective is to use this information as a basis for a long-term plan for this area fully compatible with the conservation of the regions biodiversity.

This is a project that aims at acquiring such knowledge, which may hold the key to successfully save these mighty cats for posterity. That’s why I think it important to also invest into scientific studies such as these beside more direct conservation efforts.

For more information please visit these sites :

• KAZA project page at LPF website
• Kavango-Zambesi website